Tainted Paradise
by clockworksharks
Summary: After Graduation, Reid chooses a different path for summer vacation. He flys out to Thailand, in search of the perfect paradise. However, he soon discovers that the price to pay for paradise is more than he barganed for..
1. The Idea

**Forward:** _This story is a Covenant fan fic, however it's definitely not your run of the mill plot. This story is inspired by the move 'The Beach' therefore; I have used a lot of themes from there but twisted it around. The movie, and the basic plot have inspired some quotes, names and settings. However, I am writing this in my own original way, and for those of you who haven't seen the movie and even if you have your still in for a treat. So I guess this is A Covenant/Beach crossover, I know, REALLY random, but I wanted to do something that nobody else has ever done before. This fic stars Reid, so Reid lovers I hope you enjoy! So far I do not own any characters except for the girl, who so far remains nameless. Reviews would be really appreciated! Thank you!_

**Chapter One: The Idea**

"You're doing what?"

I looked at the three of them closely; they're all staring at me with dumbfounded expressions, like I was crazy, out of my mind.

"Yeah, and you can't change my mind guys, sorry." I replied.

We were all sitting in my living room, playing guitar hero. The three of them sprawled out on my couch, while I sit in my chair at the computer desk.

"Dude, you have got to be joking." My best friend Tyler says, tossing down his controller in defiance.

"I'm not. I've already planned the whole thing. Plane tickets, travel expenses, everything. It's done."

"So, you aren't coming to LA with us?" Caleb asks.

"Nope," I reply, sighing and putting my feet up on my desk. "I need a change. I need to go somewhere new, somewhere completely different. Get a taste for different things, you know?"

Their eyes sufficiently widened as they cast each other dubious looks.

"So where exactly are you going?" Tyler asks, speaking to me as if I'm clinically insane.

"Thailand." I state simply.

"Thailand?" He repeats, still staring at me with a shocked expression.

"Why Thailand?" Pogue asks me, it's the first time he's spoken since my big announcement.

"Because, I googled paradise and that's what came up."

The looks of uncertainty increase as they all stare at me, mouths slightly open. They look like a bunch of deer caught in the headlights.

"You're serious." Caleb says slowly. I nod.

"You mean, you just typed it in and voila? Now your running half way across the world because you think you can find paradise?"

"Pretty much, yeah." I ran a hand through my scraggily blond hair, making a mental note to get a haircut before I leave.

"So," Caleb interrupts. "When are you leaving?"

I smiled down at them wickedly, I love going for the shock factor. It really makes everything so much more worthwhile.

"Tomorrow," I say, waiting for the bomb to hit. "I'm leaving tomorrow."

--

"Mr. Garwin?"

I lift up my eye mask and stare at the woman addressing me. First class is always nice to travel in; you get the best-looking flight attendants.

"We will be landing shortly in 20 minutes," she smiles at me. "Here is your landing card."

"Thank you," I reply as she passes me the card. I look down at it with uncertainty. I hate filling these things out. She turns to go just as an idea crosses my mind. For a brief moment my eyes flash pitch black, and the stack of landing cards go flying on to the floor.

"Oh dear," she mutters, bending over to retrieve them. I get more than a good look at her ass as she does so. This was nice, no Caleb to reprimand me for using. I was all on my own now, ready to explore the great unknown. I might as well start my trip off with a little fun.

So the flight was boring. I drank cheap beer and watched stupid movies for a distraction, but now that I've finally landed, I'm almost not sure what to expect. I know I'm not going to find what I'm looking for right away, that at least is for certain. Things like paradise are difficult to find, and I'm not even really sure what I'm looking for. A place, a person, hell, maybe even a state of mind. But I know I'm not going back without a good fight in looking for it.

Outside of the sterile clean airport, I enter the heart of the city. I've got nothing on me except a map, my backpack and one suitcase. I packed light; but I'm hoping to return with more than the little I came with. It's nighttime in Bangkok, which means the city is in full swing. Flashing lights, honking cars, busy people brushing past me in a blur as I step out onto the sidewalk. I'm taken aback for a few moments, trying to absorb everything, but the sounds and lights are just too overwhelming. I steady myself, peering around until I spot a nearby cab driver that seems to be unattended. Seizing my chance, I hail him and run across the busy sidewalk and slide into the front seat.

He immediately must realize that I'm American, because he greets me in English.

"Yeah, so where you like to go?" He asks, beaming at me.

I think about this first before I answer him.

"Paradise." I reply honestly.

He looks at me for a brief moment, and then bursts out laughing.

"You Americans, very funny. Well, I don't know paradise, but I do know some good hotels. Yeah?"

"Good enough for a start," I shrug, grinning back.

The driver drops me off at _The Dolphin. _It seems to be a run of the mill, ordinary ritzy tourist place. I get out of the car and hand him 20 baht. 1 Thai baht 0.033001 U.S. dollars, so trust me, that's a very good deal for a 40 minute cab drive. I enter the hotel and make my way straight for the reception desk. A perky girl who has a phone tucked under one ear spins around on her chair to greet me.

"Sawatdee Kaa!" She greets me.

"Hi," I say, smiling. "I'd like a room please."

"Very well," she beams, switching to English.

"How many nights would you like to stay?"

"Uhh," I hadn't thought of this. "Two, for a now." I say, best not to tie myself down to one place only. This is just a starting point until I can figure out what to do from here. I purposefully planned this to be a spontaneous trip after all. "Okay, room number 456 is yours for two nights." She dangles a chunky key in front of me and I take it. Then, she passes me the information sheet and I fill it out. This is a lot simpler than back in the states.

--

I don't know what the driver was talking about when he said he knew good hotels, because frankly, I've never stayed anywhere less than 5 stars. But I'm not complaining, I really like my little room. It's got stained, ripped wallpapered walls, one double bed with flimsy sheets, and a small TV set. It's definitely a change from what I'm used to, but it's all part of the experience. The showers are located at the end of the hall, so after unpacking, I make my way for them to clean myself off. The shower was definitely a shocker from what I was expecting, but I sucked up, bit my lip and used it. Afterwards I walk back down the hall, wrapped up in my white towel, trying to shake the water from my freshly cut blond hair. And then, a lighting bolt hits me. Well, it might as well have been one.

At this point, I'm trying to jam my chunky fat key into the lock of my door, and it's starting to piss me off. I look up when I sense someone approaching. That's the thing about the power; it alerts you when something is about to happen. So anyways, there I am, in a white fluffy towel, trying to jam this stupid key into my lock and I see her. This girl, walking towards me from the end of the hall. I straighten up to get a better look.

Now don't get me wrong, I've seen plenty of attractive females in my life. Growing up in a preppy private school, I've had plenty of girls and plenty of action. I'm basically an expert in picking out a hot girl from a crowd. But this, this was different. She wasn't only hot; there was something about her. She was different from any other girl I'd ever seen. She was very tall, probably almost as tall as me, and I'm over just over 6 feet. Her bone structure was flawless, but her face wasn't perfectly processed with layers of makeup. It was tanned, sprinkled with freckles from the sun, as if she'd been lying on the beach all day. She had fierce green eyes and a smile that reminded me of the wicked witch from the west.

"Having difficulties?" She says to me, stopping in front of me. Her accent is hard to trace, it sounds very French but with a harsh, Irish sounding snap to it.

"I uh, yeah my key—" I stammer, taken off guard.

She smirks at me, god that mouth. Curving and red like blood. I realize I'm staring at her and not making any motion, so she grabs the key from my hand herself and turns it into the knob with ease.

"Et voila," she grins, flashing her very white teeth.

White teeth have always been a turn on for me, not white strip-bleached teeth, but just nice normal white. She's definitely French, seeing how she just spoke it.

"Merci," I grin back stupidly.

Wrong move, I shouldn't have spoken French. But she doesn't seem to mind, she just smiles at me serenely and then walks to the room next to mine and opens up her own door. I realize I'm still standing in a towel, staring at her. She shoots me a raised eyebrow and a quick smile before closing her door. I snap back to reality and enter my room, feeling like an idiot.

--

I'm laying on my bed, watching a stupid pay per view movie on my little TV set. I'm bored. I didn't pay hundreds of dollars just to travel half way around the world to do something I could be doing back at home. I feel a twinge of guilt and think about the boys back home, probably all getting ready to head out on the road trip that I would be missing out on. But the whole thing was just so predictable and boring. We'd drive around, get lost, meet a couple girls, get laid, get wasted every night, then go back home. Nothing new, nothing special…and that's what I wanted. Something special.

I got up and threw my jacket around my shoulders. I wasn't just going to sit around and rot on this trip. I went downstairs and up to the reception desk where I had just checked in only hours before.

"Excuse me," I say.

This time it's a different girl working there. She turns to me with raised eyebrows. Not very friendly, I think to myself.

"Do you where I can find a good local bar?"

"A bar," she repeated, as if I'm loony.

"Yes," I reply, short tempered. "A bar."

"Why not the one here?" She asks, pointing a figure down the hall.

"I want to get out and see the city," I say simply. She glares at me for a minute and then answers.

"Try the one on the West Street, it might suit you."

I'm tempted to yell back at her, 'and what do you mean by it might suit me?' But I think better of it and instead I thank her, and then hurry out of the hotel.

15 minutes later, I see the 'bar' that she sent me to. I'm standing in front of a place called "Patrick's Brews." The slogan for the dump is 'beer and broads.' I grin, that bitchy receptionist things she'll have a laugh sending me to some crazy Irish man's pub. Little does she know, it's just my kind of place. I walk in; the bar looks like something straight out of Constantine comic books. No, that the lame excuse for a movie staring matrix boy, I'm talking about the real, nitty gritty Constantine; crazy Scottish bastard, always smoking and drinking.

I head straight for the bar and order a shot from whom I can only assume is Patrick. He gives me a strange look but slams the whiskey down in front of me with a grin. He's missing a few teeth, how attractive. How this guy ever came to opening up a bar in Thailand's main party district, I'll never know. The place is nearly empty, except for one guy who I see sitting a few seats away from me. He's yelling at the top of his lungs, obviously sloshed out of his mind. Still, what he's saying grabs my attention. He kind of reminds me of the time Tyler drank a whole bottle of Jack Daniel's. Not a pretty sight, but still fucking amusing as hell.

"I tell yah Patrick! These fucking bastards have got everyone fooled! Wool over the eyetooth, all that fucking jazz. You hear what I'm saying man? Complete fucking parasites. They think they've found heaven! Bah!" With this last remark he spits loudly on the floor and looks up. His eyes lock directly on mine for a moment, but then he turns back to the bartender.

"I fucking tell you what Patrick, none of them have got a right fucking state of mind. A bomb could drop 10 feet away but as long as it didn't fuck up their precious little haven, they wouldn't even blink an eye. Fucking parasites!" He yells again, taking an enormous swig of his drink.

"Calm down there, Daffy." Patrick says, shaking his head as he wipes out grim from a shot glass. I quickly give my own an inspection, hoping that he cleaned it before passing it to me. The man—Daffy—turns to me, he looks completely crazy. I gulp back my shot and then glare back at him with a challenge.

"What you drinking there laddie?" He asks, still staring at me.

"Whiskey," I reply, my gaze fixed.

"Good fucking choice." He says approvingly. I grin back.

"Patrick! Bring this boy another shot will yah? He looks in need of it."

"Thanks," I say as Patrick hands me another one. I feel the bitter sour mash burning down my throat, but I'm used to it. Didn't grow up in Ipswich and learn to drink for nothing.

"So what brings yeh' t' Thailand lad?" He asks me.

"In need of a change," I say with a shrug.

"Bah, not much of a fucking chance you'll find change here. Everything here is just a whole load of codswallope. You hear me?"

"I hear you," I reply earnestly, and chink my shot with his.

"What I'm really hoping to find is something unexpected."

He looks up at me suddenly, a sharp gaze coming from his scared looking face.

"Unexpected eh? You better be careful boy."

"I know it sounds stupid," I grin, chugging back the rest of my liquor and slamming my glass down on the table. "Another one will yah? Anyways, I know it sounds stupid, but I'm hoping to find something. I want an adventure you know? I don't even know what it is I'm looking for, but I want to find true paradise."

His eyes widen slightly. I sense something in his eyes, fear perhaps? I'm not sure. Then he starts to laugh.

"Boy, it's hard to fucking find."

"No shit," I reply, as Patrick passes me yet another shot. He slides down a few seats so he's sitting next to me. He reeks of liquor and cigarettes. Constantine like indeed. He could probably play the part, I think absentmindedly. He's got the swearing Scottish voice and everything.

"What's your name lad?"

"Reid," I reply, moving back slightly as my nose get's a sample of his breath.

"Reid. Huh. That's a fucking weird name."

"Thanks," I grin, slugging back the whiskey.

"So Reid, you want to find paradise do yah?"

"Yeah." I reply honestly. He pauses for a long moment, seemingly thinking deep off into space.

"You got anything to smoke boy?"

"No," I say, frowning.

"Well that's good, cuz' I've got loads of the fucking stuff."

A few moments later, we're outside the back door of the bar and he's lighting up a big fatty. Never seen a joint that big wrapped so tightly since Aaron Abbot's birthday party 2 years ago. Ours fell apart of course, but Daffy's is holding together like a pro. He takes a long hit and holds back the smoke in his lungs, still not saying a word. He passes it along to me and I toke back in earnest. It's the best tasting weed I've ever sampled. I cough slightly as I blow it out. It's been a while.

"So, paradise." He says again with a frown.

I grin. "I don't mean the kind you get from being high."

"Neither do I," He says quietly, there's seriousness in his voice that almost scares me. "What would you do boy, if someone told you they knew how to get there."

"Get where?" I ask, passing him the joint.

"Paradise." He murmurs thoughtfully.

"Well, I'd ask if they were fucking crazy for starters." I laugh.

"Hah, crazy. What does anyone know about crazy anyways?"

"Well," I say thoughtfully. "Some people have theory that it's the crazy people who really know the whole truth to this world. They've seen things that nobody else has, that kind of thing."

"Now that's a very good theory." Daffy says, billowing out smoke.

"You think?" I ask.

"Yeah, I do. What about you Reid? You like that theory?"

"I'm not sure," I say, frowning. "It's just a theory after all, no proof to back it up."

"No proof?" He says, his voice raising. "No proof? Tell you what boy. I'm fucking living proof right here. I've seen things, things that you can't possible imagine."

"No offence or anything," I say softly, feeling much lighter as the high hits me. "But you're out of your fucking mind, aren't you?"

He lifts back his head and roars with laughter.

"You bet your ass. You would be to if you'd seen all the fucking parasites." He laughs again, and then looks at me seriously.

"I'll tell you what boy. I'm going to give you something."

"Okay," I say, puzzled. "What is it?"

"This here piece of leather," he says, pulling out a battered, folding piece of cloth.

"But you have to fucking swear something to me first," he says, glaring at me. "You won't fucking open it until tomorrow morning. All right?"

"All right," I reply.

"You fucking swear it?"

"I swear it." I say, giving him a boy scout's salute.

This guy has got to be out of his fucking tree, he's as nutty as they come. But still, this trip is all about taking chances and going beyond the norm. So I take the piece of worn out leather, and as promised, I tuck it into my jacket and leave it there, unopened. We head back to the front of the bar and I'm about to open the door for him. He shakes his head.

"I've had enough for tonight lad," he says quietly. He pauses, and frowns slightly.

"It's been nice knowing yah Reid," he grins and turns.

I watch him walk down the street as he lights a cigarette, the smoke covering his head completely in the foggy Thailand night. I wait until he's completely vanished from around the street, and then I hail a cab to take me back to the hotel. I don't even think about the piece of leather tucked into the folds of my jacket the whole ride home. And I don't think of it for the rest of the night. Not even in the morning, until I turn on the local news, where they're showing a report about a suicide case. A man in mid 40's, Scottish decent going under the name of 'Daffy', found dead with wrists cut lying in a gutter a few blocks away from Patrick's Brews.

--

**If you read, please review!**


	2. The Search For Paradise

**Chapter Two**

_The Search For Paradise_

--

Somewhere in my mind, something was trying to let me forget the events of last night. It shouldn't be bothering me. I barley knew the guy, but still, I guess it's the natural human reaction. When you know someone who dies, it hits you.

I go down to the breakfast room and order a very large cup of coffee. I still couldn't wrap my head around this. I stare into the dark, swirling liquid, trying to block out the image I had just seen on the news. Daffy's body, lying limply in the gutter. Suicide. I dip my finger into the coffee and frown. It's cold. I guess I've been staring into it for more than a few minutes.

I glance around the room, and when nobody's watching flash my eyes into the cup and it's instantly piping hot again. I know I'm not supposed to be using on little things, but right now, I'm just so shocked I don't even care.

I reach into my jacket pocket for some money to tip the waitress, and my fingers close on something damp, and leather. My hand goes shooting back out of there like there's no tomorrow. That piece of leather he gave me. I'd almost forgot.

Looking around once more, I slowly pull the leather from my pocket and smooth it out on the table in front of me. It's a ragged looking thing, looks like it's gone through the wash more than it's fair share of times. It's got creases and rips on the outside so I'm extra careful as I unfold it.

My breath catches in my throat as I take in the contents of the leather. It's a map. It's a fucking map with place names, labels, arrows, and the whole shebang. My eyes scan over it, taking in every detail and then they land on something that sends my heart pounding; an arrow pointing to one island. It's the last arrow on the chart, so I know that the island is the thing that the map is supposed to lead to. I squint my eyes to get a closer look. Scrawled above the arrow is written 'this way to the beach.'

The beach? I think. My heart leaps. Daffy said he'd been there, to a place that was paradise. Could it be that he had handed me a fucking ticket straight to it? Now I know the whole thing sounds crazy, but I felt as if it was destiny that I got this map and I wasn't just going to let it sit there and haunt me for the rest of the trip. Caleb always said I had an overactive sense of curiosity and I could never truly resist in satisfying it.

I hear footsteps approaching and I quickly stuff the map back into my pocket. I turn to see the girl from yesterday walking right towards me. She sits down at the table beside me. She's wearing a white sundress that does wonders for her body, not to mention compliments her tanned skin perfectly. She looks up and smiles at me.

"What have you got there?" She asks in her smooth French voice.

"Nothing," I shrug. Apparently I didn't hide it quickly enough.

"Did you hear about the dead man?" She asks, still staring at me, which makes me sort of uncomfortable. Her green eyes are actually pretty intimidating up close.

"Yeah, actually, it's a crazy story but—"

"You have met him also?" She asks excitedly.

"You—" I pause, I wasn't expecting that. "—You knew him too?"

"I met him a few nights ago," she says with a wave of her hand. "At that strange bar. He was very loud, I couldn't even concentrate on finishing my drink."

I grin at her. "He seemed like he could have that effect on some people."

She get's up and to my surprise, sits down in the chair across from mine.

"I'm Leigh." She says, extending a long, manicured hand. "Leigh Badeau."

"Badeau huh?" I ask, grinning. "You know they say that the name Badeau was given to special Parisians who admired everything that seemed a little extraordinary."

She raises her eyebrows at me, evidently impressed.

"I see you know your French research." She says. "That is very true indeed."

"I'm Reid Garwin," I say, shaking her hand firmly. "Pleasure to meet you."

"So, you are American." She says this as a statement, not a question.

"Sure am. I come from Ipswich, Massachusetts. What about yourself?"

"Paris, France." She says without a hint of interest. "But I got very bored you see. Seeing the same things every day. So I came all the way out here, I fancied a bit of change."

"Me to. Looks like we've got a few things in common." I grin, watching her closely.

"So is it true of you?" I ask.

"I'm sorry?" She blinks. "Is it true of me what?"

"That you admire everything that seems extraordinary."

She smiles at me; her eyebrows still raised as she drums her nails on her mug.

"I suppose it is," she replies.

I don't know what it was that urged me to do it. But I felt that a secret this good, couldn't go untold. And besides, I figured she might get a kick out of it, maybe a few laughs. What I didn't expect her to do though was to go right along with it.

"So," I say, lowering my voice. "Can I show you a secret?"

"The thing you've got in your pocket?" She whispers back.

"You catch on quick," I grin, impressed at her guesswork. I pull out the tattered piece of leather from my coat once more and lye it out on the table for her to see.

She stares at it her for a good 5 minutes before saying anything.

"I've heard of this place."

"What?" I ask, leaning in closer.

"The beach." She says, pointing to the same arrow that got my attention. "I have heard villagers talk about it before. They say that it is a place that nobody can get to, because nobody knows where it is, except for the people that are already there. They say that it is a perfect place, untouchable and exotic. They say that it is paradise."

With these last words I lean into the table closer. What I'm hearing is almost too good to be true. There's no way I'm going to pass up this opportunity. Not a chance in hell.

"What would you say if I suggested we go there?"

"Go there?" She asks, placing down her mug. "You are serious?"

"Of course! Just think; it would be such an adventure. That's the whole reason why I came out here in the first place. To find something new, to get out in the world, to discover paradise. And if you ask me," I add, slamming my hand down on the map. "It looks like it was just handed right to me, so to speak."

"I see." She says thoughtfully, taking a sip from her coffee.

"I mean, I know we just met and all," I add hurriedly, realizing how forward I've just been. "But isn't that sort of the thrill? It just adds on to the adventure even more."

"You know Mr. Garwin," she smirked over the rim of her cup. "You have presented me with an offer I don't think I can refuse."

I honestly didn't expect her to say yes. I thought she'd just tell me I was crazy and shake her head and walk away. But she didn't. I guess what they say in those books are right, Badeaus just can't turn down the unexpected.

"So," she says briskly. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as possible," I say, taken aback by her abruptness. "I just need to—"

She waves a hand in my face.

"Leave it to me. I will make the travel arrangements. French women are very good at bargaining with men. I suggest you go pack your suitcase."

She smiles that blood red smile of hers, the one that caught my attention the first moment I saw her. Her green eyes have a sparkle of excitement.

"We'll leave first thing in the morning."

--

I'm lying in bed, thinking about Daffy. I know it's completely crazy. I just met the guy, and he was obviously a raving lunatic according to the local news channel. But still, something inside me is telling me not to listen. Something tells me, he's got a point, and a damn good one at that. I unfold the map in my hands once more and continue to stare at it, tuning out the television completely.

I'm thinking of getting up to turn it off but I sigh and focus my eyes on it instead. It instantly clicks off. What the hell, I'm on vacation. I turn my gaze to the wall behind the TV, where sexy French girl is probably all snuggled up in some foreign Victoria's secret lingerie watching pay per view. I grin pervishly at the thought; I always did have an excellent imagination when it came to fantasizing about women.

I still can't believe she fell for my invite. I guess I baited the line well, and she fell for the hook and sinker. At least I know I'm not going to be bored on this trip. I think about sending an email off to the boys. Who knows when I'll be near a computer next? I'm going into the great unknown after all, and for some reason, I highly doubt paradise comes with high speed Internet included.

I dig through my bag to get my blackberry and pull up my email. All ready in my inbox is a stupid forward from Pogue, something about crazy college girls gone wild. After that there's one from Tyler, a brief farewell note, and a plea to tell me where I hid his favorite dinosaur toothbrush. I grin and write a reply, hinting for him to check the basket of dirty laundry in his bathroom.

The next one is from Caleb, and just as I expect, a warning to stay safe and be careful and responsible. But despite all that, it's actually pretty nice, wishing me to have a great trip and all that jazz. I write him back a quick reply and then shut off my blackberry and trade it for the map once more.

I trace the lines of the map with my fingers, frowning. Something Daffy said to me last night. It seems so far away now; I can't believe I only met the dude yesterday only to see his mangled body next morning on the 7am news. What's crazier still is I'm taking his advice and following this map of his on a wild adventure. I smile, mentally thanking myself for not mentioning the map to the others in my emails.

Daffy had warned me to be careful in my conquest. This was something that keeps nagging on my mind. However, he did leave me the map, so I guess he thought I could handle the truth of whatever is out there. With that notion set firmly in place, I slide under the covers to drift off into an uneasy sleep, nervously and excitedly dreaming about what lies ahead in the near future.

--

**If you read, please review!**


	3. Getting Acquainted

**Chapter Three**

'Getting Acquainted'

* * *

"So did you always live in Paris?" I say. My hair is whipping wildly in the wind, all though not as much as Leigh's is. We're sitting in a small motorboat; Leigh hired a guy to drive us to the other Island. From there we take a train to a remote town, from there a couple busses and then, the great unknown.

I have to hand it to her, she executed 'leaving tomorrow' perfectly. She planned the whole trip in less then a night. I figure now that we'll have so much traveling time on our hands, we might as well get to know each other a bit better.

"Yes," she replies. "I went to art school in London for a year, but I found it much the same as Paris."

"I see. Art school huh?"

"Yeah," she grins, staring me down with those crazy green eyes of her. "Do you not like art Mr. Garwin?"

She lights a cigarette and shields it from the wind.

"Art's fine." I mumble lamely. I wouldn't know the first thing about it.

"It's okay," she sighed. "Neither to do. I traded art in for photography a few years back."

"Photographer huh?"

"Yes. I came out here to find something interesting to photograph." She smirks, inhaling deeply on her smoke.

"You pick up that habit in Paris to?" I taunt, gesturing at her cigarette.

She scowls at me but then laughs.

"Your very good at guessing Mr. Garwin."

"Please," I groan. "Call me Reid."

"Fine. I was only trying to make you feel important," she laughs. Her voice is melodic and gentle yet I can sense something mysterious within it.

Attraction is a funny thing. You can see someone, and instantly be drawn by his or her looks and appearance. Leigh was gorgeous; it was a simple fact. But what was really compelling me towards her was her presence. She carried herself as if she was hiding a vault full of secrets, just waiting for someone to dare to get close enough to try and unlock them.

"So what about yourself? Massachusetts, USA, correct?"

"How did you—"?

She laughs. "I needed your passport in order to book the train tickets. I swiped it from you the other day."

"How the hell did you manage that?"

She shrugs coolly. "I'm sneaky."

"Well aren't you full of surprises." I say, not bothering to hide how impressed I am.

"Some would say that," she smiles that devil-like smile. Her blood red lips enclose over her cigarette. The smoke twists around her face like a thin veil.

"So," I ask, huddling my jacket tighter to my body. "How much longer on this crazy boat ride?"

She smiles and takes a moment before replying.

"About 5 more minutes, exactly."

Sure enough, 5 minutes later were standing on a little jetty, whose planks are rotting away to nothing. It's a tricky walk across them to get to the shore without a foot falling through. The hot Thailand sun beats down on us as we make our way to the beach that is lined with little straw houses. Already we've left the jungle, a.k.a. the city. I pull out my Gucci men sunglasses to shield my baby blues from the sun. Leigh looks at me and then starts to giggle.

"What?" I demand.

"Gucci. Nice taste, I'm actually impressed. I just thought you were more of a rough and tough guy."

"Well, I am!" I laugh. "Am I not aloud to have a little bit of class along with that?"

"I suppose. Your pretty full of surprises yourself." She adds and then walks swiftly along the path into the small village. I have to hurry to keep up with her, seeing how I'm carrying most of the luggage.

"So what next?" I pant, trying to step into pace with her stride.

"The train station." She states simply.

"They have a train station here? But it's the middle of nowhere."

"Not yet it's not," she grins and points to the road in front of us. Approaching our view is a surprisingly busy little market place. I sigh. You can't escape tourism anywhere these days.

We board the train at a quarter past three in the afternoon. We ate lunch at a little café that serves a lot of fish and speaks very little English. Thankfully they did understand the words 'coffee' and 'extra sugar.'

We manage to get two seats that face each other by the window with a little table in the middle. I'm keen on firing more questions at her and she doesn't resist when I begin. So we spend the first hours sipping on our coffees while I ask her countless numbers of questions that don't really have anything to do with anything. After a while, she interrupts me.

"Reid, you already asked me what my favorite colour was." She laughs softly.

"Oh, sorry." I can feel myself stirring up a sheepish smile.

"It's okay. Don't you think it's time I had a turn though?"

"If you like," I say politely. "I'm not that interesting though."

"Oh, please Reid." She groans. "Your modesty doesn't fool me in the slightest. I know very well that you're extremely rebellious and arrogant. Yet deep down inside, you've got an overall good heart."

I blink, taken aback. Her lips curve upwards. She bats her thick eyelashes that cover her vivid green eyes up and me coyly.

"I read people very well," she adds casually, as if that were an explanation.

"Apparently! You've known me for less then a week and already your able to sum me up exactly the same way people who've known me my entire life would."

"Like I said," she shrugged. "I'm very good."

She snuggles back into her seat and stars at me closely.

"So these best friends of yours, you mentioned them briefly. You left them to come out here, yes?"

"That's right."

"Tell me about them. I'm interested."

"Okay, well. There's Caleb, Pogue, and Tyler. Caleb's sort of like the leader type and he gets on my case a lot, but we're still closer then brothers. Pogue's a laid back guy but he's got his wild side. And baby boy Tyler has been my best friend since day one."

"I see. Is that really all your going to tell me?"

"You want to know more?" I shrug. "They're boring in comparison to me."

She lifts her chin and laughs. "I am interested in you. And your life, and I can tell these three are a big part of it. So," she waves her hand. "Go on."

"Well, we sort of ruled our school so to speak. We're sort of like legends, our families formed the original Ipswich colony, and so we were sort of brought up on that reputation. I guess that's where the arrogance comes from." I pause and grin.

"We've all known each other for our whole lives so we're more like brothers than best friends. We fight like brothers, that's for damn sure."

She smiles and nods encouragingly for me to continue.

"Anyway, we're all heading off to Harvard in the fall. So it's not like we'll be apart for that long, I just needed a break from everyday life, you know?"

"I agree completely. I needed a break from the city." She sighs, looking out the window.

"So this map of yours," she continues, lowering her voice slightly. "Suppose it's not a bunch of hogwash and we actually find this so-called paradise. Then what?"

I blink at her. I've never really put much thought as to what we'd actually do once we got there. I figure it will be just so perfect we won't have to do a goddamn thing.

"I guess we'll find out," I shrug.

"It is rather thrilling isn't it?" She whispers, her green are sparklingly with excitement.

"Very," I add with a wink.

"I'm very glad I ran into you when I did." She says simply, leaning back in her seat and casually lighting a cigarette.

"It must have been good fortune that's all." I say.

"Let's order drinks." She says enthusiastically, picking up a drink menu off the table. "Do you like beer?"

I smile. I'm beginning to like this girl more and more.

* * *

We make it to a hotel late that night at around midnight. The 'hotel' is actually more of a series of beach huts and we each get our own with a built in shower. I peel off my sweaty traveling clothes and gratefully step into the warm water.

After my shower I change and walk a few feet across the beach to say goodnight to Leigh. She's sitting outside of her hut, smoking another cigarette and gazing up at the stars. I notice she has her camera out and is taking pictures with an expensive looking lens.

"Why take pictures of the sky?" I muse, sitting down next to her on the cool sand.

"Why not?" She retorts, clicking her camera as she captures the shot she wants.

"I don't know. Stars don't really appeal to me I guess."

"Maybe they should," she adds as she reloads the film.

I look over to her and she ignores me, keeping busy with her work.

"I once sold a photograph of a meteor shower for 500 dollars." She grins. "Many people find the sky of interest."

"Doesn't sound to shabby," I say.

"However," she yawns. "I think it is time for me to go to sleep. We have another busy day ahead of us tomorrow."

She stands up and I follow suit.

She puts out her smoke and packs up her camera quietly.

"Goodnight Reid." She smiles before disappearing into her hut.

"Goodnight," I call after her, and walk back to my own.

_**A/N:** I know it's short, but I felt obligated to update. Please read and review!_


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